


The Customer Is Always Right

by hanni_banana



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Hannibal is Not a Cannibal, Libraries, M/M, Meet-Cute, Romantic Fluff, everyone is happy, sex is coming, will be tagged as added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-11-15 08:39:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11227338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanni_banana/pseuds/hanni_banana
Summary: Will is a librarian who is not having a good day.  That all changes when Dr. Hannibal Lecter comes to the desk.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Franklyn is not Hannibal’s patient in this, he’s just an annoying customer.

Will had been stuck on the front desk all morning. Minor catastrophes like car trouble or the flu had taken out half of the circulation clerks, and as a result, Jack had dragged him down from the reference department on the second floor to the main lobby. There were entirely too many people and it was entirely too loud with the comings and goings of families. Will longed for the quiet corner of special collections and the adjoining reference desk. 

Reference work didn’t come with the chit chat that plagued the main desk, like patrons who wouldn’t take a hint and just _leave_ with their books. Case in point, Franklyn Froideveaux. He already had his cookbooks checked out, but he lingered, chattering on to Will about the recipes he was looking forward to trying. There were no other patrons to help, and unfortunately, Will couldn’t actually tell Franklyn to scram, no matter how much he wanted to.  
So he was stuck, praying for the phone to ring or for the ground to simply swallow him. Him or Franklyn, either one.

“…and Baltimore is such a great town for markets,” Franklyn continued. “There are so many different places to shop, you can find every ingredient you can imagine.”

“Right.” Will nodded vaguely, hoping they were nearing an end.

“Farmers’ markets are good for local organics,” Franklyn said, going right on, “but I do most of my shopping at independent merchants. They have so much more selection, and they always have the finest cheeses.”

“Right.”

“Jose’s has the best selection of artisanal cheeses—”

A new voice spoke. “I hate to interrupt, but could you tell me where the psychology books are, please?”

Will hadn’t even seen the man approach. He stood just to the side of the desk, in a brown and blue suit, a look of inquiry on his face.

“Go to the back, then to left, then look next to the far wall,” Will said automatically. Then he recognized the out for what it was. He stood. “It’s a little confusing. Let me show you.”

“Thank you,” the man said.

Will told Franklyn to have a nice day and then started toward the back, the man falling into step beside him.

“You don’t need me to show you where the psychology books are,” Will said under his breath.

“Oh? Why do you say that?”

“One, because signs to the nonfiction are clearly posted and you’re not a person who is oblivious. Two, because I doubt our psychology section has anything to offer you.”

“And why do you say that?”

They had reached the beginning of the nonfiction section now, and Will turned to the shelves, searching for the book he wanted. He picked it up and held up the back cover, which had a photograph of the man on it.

“Because, _Doctor_ , you’ve written the most advanced book in the section.”

The man named Dr. Lecter smiled. “You’ve seen through me entirely, I’m afraid.”

“Not entirely,” Will said. “I know what you just did, but not why you went to the effort of doing it.”

“It was my pleasure to provide an interruption,” he said, the smile in his eyes remaining as he looked at Will. “You looked like you sorely needed one.”

“The customer is always right,” Will said tiredly at the reference to Franklyn, his remaining professionalism slipping away. But something told him Dr. Lecter wouldn’t care.

“Precisely,” Dr. Lecter said. “So how could you refuse the needs of another customer who had a question?”

“Your question was strategic,” Will said, smiling in spite of himself, “designed to get me away from the desk.”

Dr. Lecter nodded. “If I had asked my real question, you would have simply answered and remained at the desk, and would still be talking to that tiresome young man, I presume.”

“I appreciate the diversion,” Will said, genuinely meaning it. “But how can I actually help you?”

“I need to review one of your rare books in special collections, one of the historical volumes. But there no was no one at the desk upstairs.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. We’re extremely short staffed today. I normally do the special collections and reference work.”

Will could have been wrong, but it seemed like something in Dr. Lecter’s face brightened further at that.

“I understand completely,” Dr. Lecter said. “Shall I come back tomorrow?”

“No,” Will said, surprising himself with his answer. “Come back after lunch. Politely demand that you have access to the special collections today.” He smiled. “After all, the customer is always right.”

Will could escape back to the second floor. Jack could work the front desk himself, for all he cared. Will momentarily wondered what Dr. Lecter made of his suggestion; it required more of the man that it did of him, though it got them both what they wanted.

But he needn’t have worried. Dr. Lecter only smiled again. “That much I can certainly do,” he said. “I shall return at one fifteen. Will you be at the desk?”

“Unfortunately,” Will said.

“A situation soon remedied,” Dr. Lecter said, still smiling. “And one I would be happy to assist with.”

Will smiled in return. The day suddenly was looking up, in more ways than one.


	2. Chapter 2

Five minutes after Dr. Lecter’s return to the library after lunch, Will was walking up the stairs to the second floor, with Dr. Lecter behind him and the main desk far behind him.

“Thanks for that,” Will said.

“Not at all,” Dr. Lecter said, falling into step beside him. “I only asked for what I needed.”

It had been easier than Will had expected. Dr. Lecter had timed his arrival at the desk almost perfectly, walking up when Jack was passing behind the counter on the way to his own office. Will had apologized to Dr. Lecter about there being no one available on the second floor, and Dr. Lecter had asked if there was some mistake on the library’s website, as it said that no appointment was needed during business hours, and that it was very unprofessional for a service not to be available when he had taken time out of his day to come here.

Jack had overheard all that, as he was meant to, and he had pulled Will away for a moment. “Go help him with what he needs,” he had said to Will in an undertone, before exchanging hellos with Dr. Lecter.

Will had been extremely surprised that that was all it had taken, but he hadn’t wasted any time, telling Dr. Lecter to please follow him upstairs.

“You asked for what you needed,” Will said dryly, as they reached the second floor. “But you asked for what I asked you to ask for.” 

“That we both benefited from it doesn’t make the request less valid. I do need to look at the special collections. And now I have you to assist me.” 

He smiled at Will as they walked, and Will couldn’t help smiling in return.

The quiet that hung over the second floor was a welcome relief to Will. He hoped that whatever Dr. Lecter wanted to look up, it would take all afternoon.

When they reached the reference desk, Will stopped and asked, “So what do I need to help you with, Dr. Lecter?”

“Call me Hannibal, please.”

“Hannibal.” Will nodded. Then he realized he had never actually introduced himself. “I’m Will. But you probably figured that out,” he said, gesturing vaguely toward his own name tag.

“Indeed,” Hannibal said, smiling again. “But it’s a pleasure to meet you properly.” 

“So how can I help you?”

“I have already researched the books I would like to view on the catalog, and I have a list of them here.” Hannibal reached into his front jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, which he handed to Will.

Will unfolded it and found a neatly handwritten list of six books, as well as their identifying numbers and information.

He raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said you needed to look at _one_ book in special collections.”

“I had only planned on perusing one today, but I have more time than I had anticipated,” he said, a smile in his eyes. “After our discussion, my schedule this afternoon suddenly became free.”

Will smiled himself. Whether Hannibal was doing this to keep him off the desk or doing this because he wanted to spend more time with him, his subtle way of showing interest was clear. Will only called it subtle because while there was no mistaking it, it was there for he himself to either pick up, or not. There was nothing uncomfortable or pressuring about it.

“And my schedule became comfortably occupied,” Will returned in kind. He looked back at Hannibal and waved the list. “You know how this works?”

“I have an idea, but I’m sure policy requires that you tell me anyway.”

“It does. I’m going to go get these from the cage. I’ll bring them out to you, and you can sit at one our tables in the alcove here. You can’t take the books anywhere else in the library, and obviously you can’t leave the building with them. No food or drink is allowed while looking at the books, and if you need to make a copy of something, let me know and I’ll do it. And finally, I’m going to need your library card.”

“Of course.” Hannibal reached for his wallet, and a moment later, produced the card.

Will took it, his fingers brushing Hannibal’s as he did so. “I’ll be right back,” he said.

Behind the reference desk was a short hallway, which quickly turned and ended in the special collections room that was generally referred to as ‘the cage.’ There was a heavy, metal-screen door that had to be unlocked, and the room beyond it was where the oldest and most delicate books were kept. They were only available upon request, and when outside the room, were not to be let of out Will’s sight.

Will let himself into the room and then looked at Hannibal’s list. It was quick work to find all of the books; Hannibal even had them copied down in the order that they would be shelved. Will placed the books on a small cart and then took Hannibal’s card and made a notation in the system that the books were leaving the room.

When he came back out front, Hannibal was already seated one of the tables next to the reference desk. The tables were half-hidden, situated behind a wall that left them open to the view of the reference desk but separated from the rest of the library. They were specifically located for people viewing items from special collections, as it was impossible to leave without walking right by the desk.

Will brought the cart over to him.

“Thank you, Will.”

Will nodded. “If you need anything else, let me know. I’ll be right at the desk.”

Hannibal smiled pleasantly, his eyes lingering on Will’s face. “Thank you.”

Will retreated then, going the few steps to the reference desk and sitting down in his own chair. He could see Hannibal out of the corner of his eye, as Hannibal opened a book and began reading. Will turned on his computer and started working on the cataloging.

The rest of the afternoon crawled by in a productive sort of peace. The rest of the floor was strangely silent, and Will wasn’t bothered by any other patrons with questions. He simply worked at his computer, the quiet click of the keys the only noise to Hannibal’s turning of pages.

Whenever Will looked at Hannibal, the other man was absorbed in his books, diligently studying the pages or making notes. He never once asked Will for copies, or to fetch another book for him, or any of the usual questions about how to search for what he needed. If nothing else, it showed that he really did want to look at the books, as he hadn’t tried to get Will’s attention once.

It was a somewhat novel feeling. Hannibal’s interest in him was obvious, but it clearly wasn’t the reason he was using the library. Will had had a patron or two flirt (badly) with him before, and what they had done was waste his time with inane questions and pointless tasks, just to talk to him and engage him in conversation.

Will absently wondered what Hannibal was looking for. All of the books he had retrieved had been about Baltimore’s history; several of them had been collections of diaries, and others had been books of city ordinances and job manuals written a century ago. But Will never delved too deeply into what people were researching unless they had that lost look about them that said they didn’t quite know where to start. Academics in particular were reluctant to make small talk, afraid that their approach to whatever subject they were working on would be stolen before they could publish. 

But something told Will that Hannibal would be pleased to discuss it with him, should he ask. Whatever he was working on, it was clearly a personal project, as it hardly seemed related to anything psychiatric.

Just before five, Beverly came back, having been at a conference all day.

She waved at him before going into the room to the other side of the reference desk that served as their joint office. He saw her through the glass window, unloading files from her bag and then reloading it with more. Both of them shared reference desk responsibilities, while he managed the special collections and she specialized in genealogy. There was little left of their own genealogical records that weren’t digitalized and in storage, but Beverly knew all the databases inside and out. 

Hannibal came to the desk then, wheeling the cart over, the six books stacked neatly on it.

“Thank you.”

“Did you find what you were looking for?”

“Not entirely, though I exhausted the possibilities contained within these. Perhaps when I next return you can assist me further?”

“I’d be happy to,” Will said, genuinely meaning it.

“I will come back tomorrow, or perhaps the next day, depending on my schedule.”

“I’ll be here,” Will said, smiling. “No appointment necessary.”

“Then I shall look forward to it,” Hannibal said, a pleased look on his face. “Goodbye, Will.”

“Goodbye,” Will said. His eyes followed Hannibal until the other man disappeared around the corner.

Will was still smiling even as he took the books back to the cage and checked them in.

When he returned, Beverly came out of their office and sat down in the second chair at the reference desk. “Who’s the hottie?”

“You think he’s hot?” Will blurted.

“No. But you clearly do.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“I can tell the difference between your ‘I’m being polite and helpful because this is my job’ face and your ‘I actually like you’ face. Believe me, I hardly see that last one directed at customers.” 

“Okay, so I like him.”

Beverly gave him a sharp grin. “Just make sure he likes you, too. I do _not_ want to have to sit through another emergency sexual harassment seminar. Remember last summer when Jack had to fire Nick?”

Will rolled his eyes. “Nick was an idiot.” Nick Boyle had been a circulation clerk who continually flirted with young women who came into the library. He hadn’t lasted long, and everyone else had to go through extra training as a result of the incident he caused.

“Anyway,” Will continued, “yes, he likes me, too.”

“And who liked who first?” Beverly asked.

“Him, I guess. He started a conversation solely to rescue me from having to talk to Franklyn.”

Beverly grinned again. “Are you kidding? That’s like something out of a movie. Did he ask you out yet?”

“No. But he’s coming back.”

Beverly spun in her chair, grin still on her face. “Make sure you wear something nice.”

“Ha, ha,” Will said. Then, “I thought you weren’t even supposed to be here.”

“I’m not. I’m just dropping off my stuff from today and getting ready for tomorrow. It’s a two day conference.” She hopped up from the chair, leaving it spinning. Beverly shouldered her bag. “See ya later.”

“Bye, Bev,” Will called after her.

It was five, and Will began gathering up his own things. His thoughts returned to Hannibal. He hoped he came back tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me on [tumblr](https://hanni-banana.tumblr.com)! <3


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Will was in his office checking email before the library opened when Jack came in.

Jack got straight to the point, with, “Did you help Dr. Lecter get everything he needed yesterday?”

Will was thrown by the question. “Of course,” he said, frowning. He didn’t know whether to mention that Hannibal hadn’t actually found what he’d wanted, or that he was coming back today. But he sensed that all Jack wanted to know was whether Hannibal had been satisfied or not.

“Good, good,” Jack said with a nod. “If he needs anything else, I want you to make sure he gets the best service possible.”

Will might not be the most sociable of people, but he always gave his full attention to reference needs. However, Will sensed Jack wasn’t suggesting that Will’s service was subpar. “What’s this about, Jack?”

For a moment, Jack just stared at him. “You don’t know?”

“Should I?”

“Hannibal Lecter is one of the library’s largest private donors.”

“Oh,” Will said, when it was clear that Jack wanted a response.

“So we need to make sure he’s _happy_ with our service, on the rare occasions he uses the library. We don’t want him to be displeased with anything.”

“No, right.” Will said. “I’ll take care of him, Jack.”

“See that you do,” Jack said. Then he left.

Will turned back to his email, but found himself unable to concentrate on it. He closed the window and stared blankly at the desktop screen.

He felt slightly flustered about the fact that he had apparently introduced himself to one of the library’s biggest donors by asking the man to help him shirk his own duties. Will hated the main desk, but it had been inappropriate to tell any customer as much. Worse still, nearly the first words out of his mouth had been to wryly analyze Hannibal’s simple question of where the psychology books were.

On the other hand, he’d been completely right. Will might not like people much, but he was good at reading them. He’d known before he ever opened his mouth that Hannibal wouldn’t mind Will pointing out the obvious. And Hannibal had started the interaction, asking a question he didn’t need the answer to solely to do Will a favor. If anything, he had encouraged Will’s professionalism to slip, so whether Hannibal was a donor or not, Will doubted he was offended by anything that happened yesterday. Hannibal had been more than willing to play along.

Will now saw that Hannibal had used the fact that Jack knew who he was to his advantage. At the desk yesterday, he had barely hinted at being displeased, before Jack was bending over backward to accommodate him. Will generally disliked people who pulled the ‘do you know who I am’ card when they were trying to get something, but Hannibal hadn’t done that. Hannibal had simply expressed dissatisfaction about a service not being available, as anyone might have done, and he had let Jack fill in the rest himself.

The only thing Will really wondered about was whether Hannibal had assumed Will knew who he was or not. Though it didn’t really matter, as Hannibal’s own actions regarding his interest in Will had been impeccable either way.

Out of all the things Hannibal could have been unhappy with yesterday, Will knew he himself was far from one of them. And Jack’s worries about Hannibal not being pleased would have been unfounded even if that hadn’t been the case.

Will settled back in his chair and decided he wasn’t going to worry about it. But he saw no harm in letting Jack worry, just a little.

~~

Will’s morning was slow, and as much as he wasn’t worrying about Hannibal, he couldn’t help thinking about what he hadn’t known yesterday. Finally, he opened a browser window and typed Hannibal’s name into Google.

Something had told him Hannibal wouldn’t have social media accounts, so he wasn’t surprised to find nothing in that respect. He found a tasteful website with information about Hannibal’s psychiatric practice, and then of course there were hits from medical websites that were simply directories of doctors. Finally, Will closed Google and searched the library’s own periodical database, and he found what he was looking for.

He actually found more than he was looking for. Will had thought he might find an article or two mentioning Hannibal attending a library fundraiser, but the society pages were littered with mentions of him. Hannibal was a regular patron of the arts, had his name attached to donations for more than just the library, and had even been on a museum board at one point.

Will suddenly wondered what he and Hannibal had in common, if anything. He wasn’t one to fret about things, but part of him wondered if it wouldn’t be better to nip this in the bud, before he got invested in the possibility of a relationship. On paper, they seemed completely incompatible.

However, he pretty much forgot about all of that the moment Hannibal appeared at his desk. Will found himself smiling automatically. He hadn’t realized exactly how much he’d looked forward to seeing Hannibal until he was standing in front of him.

“Hello, Will,” Hannibal said, a smile on his face.

“Good morning.”

“I’m afraid I only have until lunch today, as I’m on something of a tight schedule. But I have a few more books I would like to look at.”

“Sure,” Will said, nodding as Hannibal handed him the list. “Make yourself comfortable and I’ll be right back with these.”

Hannibal seated himself at the table in the alcove as Will went to get the books. They were more of the same—various historical records somehow revolving around Baltimore’s history. Mundane history, but history. Will wondered what Hannibal was researching.

He came back out of the cage with cart and brought the books over to Hannibal.

“Thank you, Will.”

“Mind if I ask what you’re looking for?”

“That depends.” Hannibal looked up at Will, a smirk playing about his mouth. “Can you keep a secret?”

“I guess,” Will said, surprised. “As long as it’s not anything illegal,” he added jokingly.

“To the letter of the law, it might be.”

“Er.” Will faltered, not sure what to say.

Hannibal leaned in, still smiling. His voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. “I found a secret tunnel in my basement and I want to find out what it was for.”

Will’s lips twisted into something between smiling and gaping. “Are you serious?” he asked leaning down.

“Completely. My home is in the older section of Baltimore, and recently I noticed some of the stonework in the basement was beginning to crumble. One block had fallen and others were loose, and there was empty space behind it. I decided to investigate before I called a contractor. I thought perhaps there was another chamber beyond; imagine my surprise when I realized there was a tunnel.”

Will’s brows drew together. “And how is that illegal?”

“I’m sure it’s trespassing in some regard.”

“Right.” Will nodded.

“The tunnel is clearly not used, so I’ve been trying to find mention of it in some Baltimore-specific historical documents. When I’ve consulted modern sources about Baltimore’s underground system, I’ve found nothing about a tunnel in my location.”

“We could probably dig up schematics somewhere. We might have to request them, though.”

“I confess I’ve been reluctant to draw any sort of attention in that regard. It has been rather fun trying to unravel the mystery myself.”

It did sound fun, Will admitted. He had always been fascinated by the accounts where people were doing home improvements or digging a line for something and discovering something else entirely.

Will smirked. “For some reason, I have a hard time imagining you in the role of underground explorer.” Hannibal was wearing a different three piece suit than the one he’d had on yesterday, and he looked just as immaculate.

“It’s not as bad as one might imagine. The passages were obviously made for several men to easily walk abreast in, and they’re straight and even.” Hannibal paused, then said, “I could show you.”

Will’s eyebrows raised, even as his interest was piqued. “You’re inviting me over to see the abandoned tunnels in your basement?”

“If you like,” Hannibal said smoothly. “Or we could just have dinner.”

Will pressed his tongue between his lips. “I’ll say yes to one, and maybe to the other.”

Hannibal’s eyes brightened. “I’ll plan on preparing dinner, then.”

“You—don’t have to. I thought we would just go out.”

“Cooking is one of my passions. I would love to have you over for dinner.”

Normally, Will would balk at going to someone’s house on what was essentially a first date, as it gave the other person too much of a home court advantage. But he found that he wanted to go to Hannibal’s house. There was simply something easy about his company.

“All right,” Will said. “When?”

“Tomorrow evening?”

Tomorrow was Friday.

Will smiled. “I’ll consider it a date, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tunnels are not a major plot point just something fun. I haven't been able to stop thinking about them since I stumbled across [this interview](http://www.avclub.com/article/hannibals-bryan-fuller-hannibal-lecters-grand-desi-203253) with Bryan Fuller. :)
> 
> Me on [tumblr](https://hanni-banana.tumblr.com/)! <3


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